129 new COVID-19 cases, 6 additional deaths reported in Clark County

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased by 129 in Clark County overnight, with six additional deaths reported, according to data published by the Southern Nevada Health District early Friday.

The new cases pushed the total number of cases of the disease caused by the new coronavirus in the county to 3,443 and raised the death toll to 168.

The district estimates that 2,144 patients have recovered.

The increase was the third triple-digit increase in the last four days, indicating that the county is not yet seeing the downward trend that Gov. Steve Sisolak has indicted is a precursor to reopening shuttered businesses in the state.

One possible contributor to the slight surge in new cases is an increase in testing, which until now has largely been confined to the seriously ill and people who have been in close contact with a diagnosed COVID-19 patient. The state reported 1,778 tests were performed on Thursday, the fourth straight daily increase.

Separately, Nevada recorded 190 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 overnight, raising the total cases of the disease in the state to 4,398.

The state Department of Health and Human Services also reported eight new fatalities, raising the death toll to 203.

The state case total was derived from tests on 36,192 people, resulting in an infection rate of just over 12 percent of those tested. That figure is likely inflated, however, by the ongoing shortage of testing supplies.

In other developments:

— Authorities in Washoe County reported 19 new COVID-19 cases and three additional deaths overnight. The new cases pushed the total for the county to 755 and the fatalities raised the toll to 25. The latest victims were a woman in her 90s, a woman in her 70s and a male in his teens, all of whom had underlying health conditions, the Regional Information Center said in a news release. The center lists 241 recoveries among those who contracted the illness.

— A worker at Amazon’s North Las Vegas warehouse has contracted COVID-19, the company announced Friday. A company spokesman said the employee was recovering and that “extreme measures” were being taken to protect other workers at the site.

— Another Metropolitan Police Department employee has been confirmed to have COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the department to 15, according to data posted to Metro’s website. The data posted late Thursday showed that 161 employees have been tested, with 134 of those tests coming back negative. Twelve employees were still awaiting test results.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Mike Brunker at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Katelyn Newberg contributed to this report.